Reading This Blog Could Cost You

This site should probably come with a warning. Mark Strobel, a long-time correspondent of mine and a frequent commenter here, discovered this the hard way. Over the weekend he sent me a snapshot of the purchases he's made "under the Bertrand influence." I asked permission to post it here, and he graciously agreed.

His e-mail of explanation is so good that I'd like to quote it in full:

I've attached a picture of the Bibles purchased under your influence.

From the bottom up:

-- Cambridge NRSV Wide Margin in "Renaissance Faire" leather cover since it gets hard use

-- Allan Goatskin NRSV

-- ESV Cordovan Calfskin Classic Thinline

-- Two ESV Portfolio Thinlines, one for Vanessa's work and a well-worn one for the car and various pastoral duties

-- Cambridge NRSV New Testament, Psalms, and Proverbs

-- Oxford Book of Common Prayer/NRSV combo in Calfskin

Although the book at the top of the stack was purchased long before running across your blog, it's clearly in the spirit of your writing.

The leather cover on the wide margin comes from Renaissance Art.

It occurs to me that your Bible Design Blog is like the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. I eat from tree and see that my Bible shelves are naked.

Thanks, Mark, for sharing the collection. I can't help feeling a little like the serpent in the garden, but it's all in a good cause! (Plus, you're the one tempting me with that red one on top, and the Allan NRSV!)

Consider this a warning, everyone. Prolonged exposure to this site can put a strain on your pocketbook and your bookshelves. Proceed with caution!

Comments

[Jesus Saenz]

Mark,

I first ran across your blog while looking for information on the 1599 Geneva Bible from Tolle Legge. Since then I have bought a Deluxe Heirloom Reference ESV calfskin, Cambridge Pitt Minion NASB goatskin, Cambridge Cameo KJV Morocco leather, R L Allan Reference ESV Highland goatskin, In Touch Ministries Wide Margin NASB calfskin, Single Column Reference ESV calfskin, Thinline Cordovan ESV calfskin.

Thanks(?)!

[J. Mark Bertrand]

Please, I'm begging you, Jesus. Take a photo of the whole stack and let me post it! :)

[Mark]

I surrender to Jesus.

(I mean that both theologically and bibliographically!)

[PDS]

Wow...this will be great. We will finally see the Bibles Jesus uses!!! :)

[Jonathan Wiebe]

As a poor man saving up for his first Allan's bible I have a couple of questions about the Allan's NRSV:

Does the it include the Apocrypha? If so, is it printed between the testaments or is it integrated into the Old Testament?

Does anyone have any pictures of the inside? I'm curious about the typeface and layout.

Thanks so much for providing this forum Mark!

[David]

There is just something so aesthetically pleasing about that picture. :)

God Bless,
David

[Mark]

There's no Apocrypha in this edition of the Allan NRSV, which is an Allan binding on a Collins edition.

I'm wondering if Allan may be planning other editions of the NRSV, though. It's only a hunch based on minimal evidence. The catalog lists the present edition as NRSV1 so perhaps there will be an NRSV2.

The layout is two-column with a narrow cross reference column in between the text column. The main text is a serif type with headings in a bold sans serif type.

[Marvin]

This is beautiful!
Me, I'm just a Bertrand wannabee. I have to firmly check my Bertrandieism, with an occasional volume here and there. But it is nice to know that some have no restraints!

[Marcus]

I bought an Allan KJV Clarendon this summer, yet Im not using it
much. The font size is very small for my 37 year old eyes with
20/20 vision. Any experience on exchanging or selling an Allan
Bible. Don't get me wrong, I think it is a masterpiece -- just not
the workhorse I was hoping it could be.

[matt]

marcus - question is how much are you selling it for? I could not imagine a better place for selling an Allan's Bible :) . That being said, Allans has a 100% satisfaction guarantee, so if you send it back in I am positive they will refund it (although I cant remember if they refund the cost of shipping overseas).

[Ian Smith]

On the note of the previous post, I purchased a RL Allan text-only Pitt Minion in goatskin and it developped a tear in the binding. Sent an e-mail asking how I might repair this and they said they would send me a new copy and I should send them the defective one back. RL Allan really does have the best customer service. I'm totally satisfied.

I also had an extra un-used Cambridge Concord Ref in Goatskin and they accepted it as a trade for a ESV1, very cool people!

[marcus dahl]

I contacted RL Allan, they are allowing me to exchange, great
service -- what if we all served our respective customers like
they do!

[PDS]

That's great!

[Seraphim]

Aha! I see I am not alone in my aquisition of Bibles complex!

Let's see...for leather binding editions, I have:

3 Nelson Signature series Bibles:
NKJV reference edition (the nicest of the bunch),
KJV slimline edition(picked it up at Powell's for $34!!!)
NKJV pocket companion edition

Cambridge RSV Brevier moroccan leather edition.

Cambridge KJV Concord Calfskin edition,

Oxford 50th anniversarry RSV with Apocrypha, leather bound (NON annotated!)

Third Millenium Bible KJV leather bound edition (leather binding is not so hot, but this is a paragraph style layout, which is very readable)http://www.tmbible.com/

Someone please help!!!!!!!!
:^)

[guest]

Slimline KJV Nelson Signature Series

NKJV Pocket Companion Signature Series

The Subject Bible Calfskin Leather from "The King is Coming"

InTouch Calfskin NASB wide margin

Get down with the sickness

[Wesley Smith]

I'm new here and this is my first post but, I have searched the internet from top to bottom and cannot find another instance of the Book of Common Prayer and Bible with the Apocrypha shown above anywhere. Can you tell me where to find it? I want the red but, I'll settle for black. Must be calf or goatskin.

[Wesley Smith]

Is the NRSV/BCP/Apocrypha combo available in red at all? I've looked all over and am only able to find it in black.